The Department of Philosophy at Rutgers University-Newark will host the 2014 Rutgers-Merck Summer Bioethics Institute. The Institute introduces area high school students accepted for the program to the major ethical theories and the application of these theories to some of the most important issues in bioethics confronting contemporary society.

The topic for 2014 is titled Ethical Issues in Human Enhancement. This continues our focus on neuroethics issues—an interdisciplinary area that combines computer science, engineering, biology, philosophy, linguistics, and the neurosciences. The issues examined for 2014 include such items as the meaning of human well-being and personal identity, comparison of human enhancement and illness, the psychological and sociological effects of education, and what are the ehtical issues and consequences of enhancement of the characteristics of human beings.

Each daily session of the Institute consists of lectures (given by science and philosophy professors from Rutgers University and other universities), a critical thinking and writing workshop, and an interactive discussion of a case study or problem in bioethics. Instruction is also provided by Rutgers librarians on using a modern library (Information Literacy) with its digital search strategies and tools, as the students prepare materials for presentations given at the end of the week.

The program is fully funded and without charge
for high school students who successfully compete
for acceptance in the one-week on-campus program.
For further information, please call 973-353-5498.